10 February 2015

UGANDA : Skipper Omony wants Uganda to leave mark at AfroBasket

Omony wants the AfroBasket tournament to open doors for Ugandan basketballers. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

By Andrew Mwanguhya

The number of times Uganda have participated at the Fiba
AfroBasket - the men’s basketball continental biennial championship -
reads naught.

But when this year’s edition tips off in Tunisia
AugustSeptember, figure 1 will be entered as the Silverbacks, as the
Ugandan national team are called, debut at the championships.

It is one moment Silverbacks captain, Stephen
Omony - who learnt his game from St Leo’s College, Kyegobe in Fort
Portal before taking it to another level while juggling his A’ Levels at
Kitante High with Blue Jackets basketball club duty in 1997 - has been
waiting for.

“It has been one of my dreams,” said the 6’4 feet
guard, “First of all it is an honour to represent my country, and to
captain it - it is a privilege. We can’t take this lightly as a team. We
are carrying hopes of the entire nation; so for me it is a challenge.”

Omony added: “Can we win it (AfroBasket)? Well, I
don’t get into something to lose. I would like to go there and win. We
shall try to do that.” Yet Omony, in his mid 30s, is not lost on reality.

“But also, we have to be realistic and manage our
expectations. It’s our first time at Afcon (he loves to call it that)
and the journey has not been easy. “We missed out on two occasions
but I felt on those two we should have qualified… But now that we have
made it, we have to go for it.Cushion“But if we
are to lose, I want us to lose honourably. Even in defeat, Uganda’s
impact must be felt. We want to leave people there saying, ‘There is
Uganda!’ “This is something we’ve been looking for. I want this to
be our gateway. This is a chance for Ugandan players to get that much
needed exposure and this is the stage where international scouts are
looking out for talent.”

This year’s event is the 28th edition, and is also a qualifying competition for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The women’s national team, the Gazelles, will
also represent at the ladies’ 24th edition in Cameroon - in addition to
the All Africa Games.